Revelation
by frozen-in-change
Summary: A normal dinner at Air Temple Island quickly changes as Bumi confesses something to his family.


The trees rustle in the breeze as the sun sets over the horizon where the peaceful, sparkling water meets the bright colors of orange, pink, and red as they paint the sky in a dazzling sunset. The rays of light bounce off the surface of Air Temple Island, making it an extravagant sight to the viewers from the docks of Republic City. Those same rays radiate through the semi-cracked windows that led in to the dining room where the Avatar himself, sitting proudly at the end of the table to face everyone, was draped in autumn colored robes as he was positioned by his family for dinner. The smell of egg noodles complete with a stir fry of organic vegetables grown right on the island itself wafted through his nose as he looked around the wooden table. To his immediate left was his wife, who just placed the last dish on the table, wore an assortment of blues topped with a water-tribe insignia button while her soft, dark brown curly hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Next to her was their eldest son, an eighteen year-old non-bender named Bumi whose hair stuck out in more directions than necessary, was cloaked in earthly toned clothing. Sitting directly across Bumi on the other side of the table was a twelve-year-old water bender named Kya, whose smile could light up the room. In between the girl and Avatar Aang was the youngest of the three siblings, named Tenzin, who's bending abilities mirror that of his father.

The family bowed their head in preparation of the blessing that was about to be said. This tradition started many years ago, as a chance to say thank you for the opportunity to live another day and the nourishment of the food that was about to be eaten, as well as a way to carry on the customs of the Air Nomads, whose life were all tragically cut due to a hundred year war. After the spoken words of appreciation were stated by Aang, the family soon each grabbed eating utensils and served their portion of food on their plate. Laughter soon consumed the air as details of everyone's day soon spilled as each member of the family shared the highs and lows of their day.

"And what about you Bumi," the avatar questioned to his son, "anything interesting happen to you today?" The non-bender looked up from his half-eaten plate and noticed the gazes from his family as they waited for his answer.

"Yes…yes actually…" he proclaimed as nerves soon swarmed over him. Aang raised an eyebrow in question to his son's nervousness, and just as he was about to question if everything was alright, his son blurted the words "I decided to join the United Forces."

Silence. Not one movement was made as those seven words were spoken. The Avatar turned his head in confusion toward his wife, wondering if she knew anything about this decision, but the look of confusion herself spoke for her. "W-what do you mean? Where did this come from?" The agitated mother voiced, speculating this decision. Bumi took a deep breath to steady his emotions, knowingly that as soon as he declared those words, chaos would ensue.

"I want to join the military," he proclaimed proudly, "I want to join the United Forces. You two" pointing to his mother and father with his right hand "have always told me to follow what my heart tells me. And this is what it tells me. I have thought long and hard about whether this was the best decision, and I have come down to the conclusion that it is. Lately, I have been confused on where my life is taking me and what path I should follow, but I believe this is what I am supposed to do. I want to help people, and since the United Forces takes both benders and non-benders, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Meanwhile, I will be able to travel the world and experience new things."

Aang, Katara, Kya and Tenzin were all taken back by this announcement that seemed to come out of nowhere. They were all speechless and did not know what to respond with. Bumi waited for the response from his family…but nothing came. He was overwhelmed with his slowly thinning patience, he knew he needed to leave the room. "Now, if you excuse me," Bumi said exhausted as he pushed his plate from himself, "I am not hungry anymore" where he then proceeded to walk out of the silence-filled dining room to his own bedroom. The family watched as he marched out of their sight, where then the husband and wife looked at each other with eyes saying that they need to talk about what has just concurred in the confides of their room. Dinner presumed awkwardly, but successfully finished and soon the dishes were clean and dried thanks to the kids.

Bumi looked out at the moon, hovering over his home where the light was shining everything in a glorious white, including his whole body as he places his head on his arm that rested on the cold bars of his balcony. He sighed, not knowing what his future held. He had waited for the perfect time to confront his family about his decision, and always hesitated because he did not know how they would react...or the lack of reaction. As he was getting lost in his thoughts, he felt a presence, and lifted his head where he faced his father standing behind him as he leaned against the threshold. He stabilized his body and mind, bracing for the onslaught that was going to come from his father on how joining would be a terrible mistake. His father's footsteps crept closer to where he was soon standing right next to him, basking in the moonlight thanks to Yue. Decided to get this over with, Bumi spoke, "just say it. Go ahead."

Aang smiled as he looked at his defeated son and answered back. "Okay, I give you my permission to join."

"What?" Bumi startled back replying and questioned if what he heard was true.

"I give you my permission to join the United Forces," he repeated, "Me and your mother had a long talk after dinner, and we both came to the conclusion that if you believe that this is the best decision for you, then we stand behind you."

His eyes became wide as he said "but I thought of you out of all people would be against me joining the military. Y'know, the same thing sends troops to missions…risking their life and killing people, something that you dislike." His father laughed as his son's statement and agreed, "Yes, you are right. But at the same time, these troops save people's lives and protect them. Without them, the world would be a different place…a scary, violent place. So I give you my blessing to join, and I know that you would be a great asset granted your skills in swordsmanship and the knowledge of the every single type of bending, including the strengths and weaknesses of each. That could come in handy."

A huge smile broke out on Bumi's face as he realized he would be able to join. He tackled his father with hug and exclaimed "thank you" multiple times. "I think some people would like to see you downstairs, _Private_," his father remarked the name that would soon be given to him after he completed boot camp. He nodded in reaction, and the two walked together to join the rest of the family, with Aang's arm wrapped around his neck.

_Thanks for reading! I made a tumblr...so you should follow me if you have one! I mainly blog A:TLA & Lok. The link is in my bio. Please leave a response with any tips or suggestions because I am new at writing fanfiction, so every little bit helps. Much love, frozen :)_


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